The Know Nothing Party
Demetri Bone Period 5 Mr.Chapin Background The Know Nothing Party (also known publically as the American Party) was a Political Party that appeared and was influential back in the 1840’s and 1850’s. The name Know Nothing Party stems from the fact when members were asked about their secret activities, the members would in turn reply “I know nothing”. Initially the party started out as a secret organization called the Secret Order of the Star Spangled Banner in response to immigration (Know-Nothing Party par 1). As a party, The Know Nothing Party was very nativist as they mainly opposed to immigration (specifically German and Irish-Catholic Immigrants) and non-Americans in government. The party was built on a platform consisting of principles that basically state that immigrants should not enjoy the rights of American citizens. The Know Nothing Party fell apart in 1856 over the issue of Slavery. Pro-Slavery Know Nothings joined the Southern Democrats who were for slavery at the time. Anti-Slavery Know Nothings joined the Republican Party lead by Abraham Lincoln. A third group of Know Nothings created a political party, named the Constitutional Union Party, with the remnants of the Whig Party. After 1860 the few thousands of people who supported the Constitutional Union Party could not muster enough support to do anything politically and vanished off the face of the United States political scene forever. The Know Nothing Party is an older representation of a political party that encourages the people to be anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic. History In the 30’s and 40’s there were mass amounts of German and Irish Catholics coming to the United States as immigrants, so in 1849 a secret organization was formed to combat the mass immigration. The organization became known as the Secret Order of the Star Spangled Banner. In the 1850’s the Order went public with their party and ideals. Now the newly created American Party went out with their platform which was based on immigration laws such as: Only native born Americans can take public office, immigrants cannot vote, and to become a Naturalized citizen takes 21 years (Know-Nothing Party par 2). The party was met with a response from working class Protestant (white male) Americans that were against the immigrants taking jobs and enjoying the rights of regular Americans, such as the right to vote. This demographic became the basis of the party’s political support. By 1852 the party had a good rate of growth, allowing them to win a few state elections and grab the voting base that did not support the pro-slavery Democrats or the anti-slavery Republicans. On December 3, 1855 forty-three members of Congress were confirmed to be a part of the Know Nothing Party (Know-Nothing Party par 3). That was the high point of their political influence. The Know-Nothing Party can attribute most of their success to the fact that there was a void left from where the Whig Party collapsed and there was a need for another political party (Know-Nothings and Democrats par 4). During the national American Party convention of 1856, the Party elected ex-President Millard Fillmore (who was with the Whig Party during and before his presidency) to become the party’s Presidential candidate. In the election of 1856, Fillmore lost and came in third place that election being beat out by James Buchanan (who came in second) and John C. Frémont (who came in first) (Know-Nothing par 4). Slavery was truly the nail in the coffin for the Know Nothing Party. Every time the issue of slavery appeared in front of the party, they attempted to put the issue aside. Unfortunately due to the disunification over slavery, the Know Nothing Party became divided and split up (Lincoln par 6). After the election, the Know Nothing Party broke into three groups that assimilated into three different political parties, due to their division over slavery. The northern/anti-slavery Know Nothing Party members flocked to the Republican Party (American Party par 4). The southern/pro-slavery Know Nothing Party members joined the Democratic Party. The remainder of the original Know Nothing Party members melded with the also decaying Whig Party to form the Constitutional Union Party. By this time, the Know Nothing Party as a whole was finished. Most if not all of their national political power was spent in the election of 1856. The Constitutional Union Party managed to produce one presidential candidate, John Bell who hailed from Tennessee. Bell came in fourth in the popular vote and third in the electoral votes. After the election of 1860 and at the start of the civil war, the Constitutional Union Party vanished along with the final traces of the Know Nothing Party (Constitutional Union Party). Party's Platform The party is firmly rooted in stopping or at least slowing immigration, making naturalization laws harder, an American Nativist attitude, and to a degree the joining of church and state (due to the fact that they were only accepting of Protestants as members). The Party harbored a lot of anti-immigrant and Anti-Catholic sentiments during the time they were active, which in turn put them directly at odds with the German and Irish-Catholic immigrants that were migrating to the United States. They also firmly believed that only native born Americans should hold political office. The Know Nothing Party only accepted white protestant males as members. In fact, the only people that the Know Nothing Party was interested in were working class Protestant Americans that were against the immigrants taking their jobs (Anbinder 104). The party had a list of principles that they believed in that became part of their platform: 1) An humble acknowledgement to the Supreme Being, for his protecting care vouchsafed to our fathers in their successful Revolutionary struggle, and hitherto manifested to us, their descendants, in the preservation of the liberties, the independence and the union of these States (American Platform of Principles par 1). 2) The cultivation and development of a sentiment of profoundly intense American feeling; of passionate attachment to our country, its history and its institutions; of admiration for the purer days of our national existence; of veneration, for the heroism that precipitated our Revolution; and of emulation of the virtue, wisdom, and patriotism that framed our Constitution and first successfully applied its provisions (Know-Nothing Party Platform par 2). 3) Americans must rule America, and to this end native-born citizens should be selected for all State, Federal, and municipal offices of government employment, in preference to all others. Nevertheless, (American Platform of Principles par 3). 4) Persons born of American parents residing temporarily abroad, should be entitled to all the rights of native-born citizens (American Platform of Principles par 4). 5) No person should be selected for political station (whether of native or foreign birth), who re cognizes any allegiance or obligation of any description to any foreign prince, potentate or power, or who refuses to recognize the Federal and State Constitution (each within its sphere) as paramount to all other laws, as rules of political action (American Platform of Principles par 5). 6) The unequalled recognition and maintenance of the reserved rights of the several States, and the cultivation of harmony and fraternal good will between the citizens of the several States, and to this end, non-interference by Congress with questions appertaining solely to the individual States, and non-intervention by each State with the affairs of any other State (American Platform of Principles par 6). 7) The recognition of the right of native-born and naturalized citizens of the United States, permanently residing in any Territory thereof, to frame their constitution and laws, and to regulate their domestic and social affairs in their own mode, subject only to the provisions of the Federal Constitution, with the privilege of admission into the Union whenever they have the requisite population for one Representative in Congress: Provided, always, that none but those who are citizens of the United States, under the Constitution and laws thereof, and who have a fixed residence in any such territory, ought to participate in the formation of the Constitution, or in the enactment of laws for said Territory or State (American Platform of Principles par 7). 8) An enforcement of the principles that no State or Territory ought to admit others than citizens to the right of suffrage, or of holding political offices of the United States (American Platform of Principles par 8). 9) A change in the laws of naturalization, making a continued residence of twenty-one years, of all not heretofore provided for, an indispensable requisite for citizenship hereafter, and excluding all paupers, and persons convicted of crime, from landing upon our shores; but no interference with the vested rights of foreigners (American Platform of Principles par 9). 10) The restriction of executive patronage—especially in the matter of appointments to office—so far as it may be permitted by the Constitution, and consistent with the public good (Know-Nothing Party Platform par 10). 11) Free and thorough investigation into any and all alleged abuses of public functionaries, and a strict economy in public expenditures (American Platform of Principles par 11). 12) The maintenance and enforcement of all laws constitutionally enacted until said laws shall be repealed, or shall be declared null and void by competent judicial authority (American Platform of Principles par 12). 13) The policy of the Government of the United States, in its relations with foreign governments, is to exact justice from the strongest, and do justice to the weakest; restraining, by all the power of the government, all its citizens from interference with the internal concerns of nations with whom we are at peace (Know-Nothing Party Platform par 13). 14) This National Council declares that all the principles of the order shall be hence forward everywhere openly avowed; and that each member shall be at liberty to make known the existence of the order, and the act that he himself is a member; and it recommends that there be no concealment of the places of meeting of subordinate councils (Know-Nothing Party Platform par 14). Impact The impact of this seemingly worthless political party is that it shows the start of a trend of anti-immigrant sentiment, especially when it comes to jobs; although at this time period there was not an economic recession like there was a few years ago. The Know Nothing Party also established the idea of nativism in American Politics. Citations American Party." Ohio History Central. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2013. . "American Platform of Principles," The True American's Almanac and Politician's Manual for 1857. ed. Tisdale. New York: 1857. Anibinder, Tyler. Nativism and Slavery: The Northern Know Nothings and the '' ''Politics of the 1850's. New York City: Oxford Univeristy Press, 1992. Print. "Constitutional Union Party." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. "Know-Nothing party." Britannica School. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. "Know-Nothing Party Platform, 1855." American History Online. Fact on File, n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2013. HistRefMain.asp?iPin=E14447&SID=2&DatabaseName=American+History+Online&InputText= %22Reformation%22&SearchStyle=&dTitle=Know-Nothing+Party+Platform%2C+1855&TabReco rdType=All+Records&BioCountPass=48&SubCountPass=109&DocCountPass=45&ImgCountPass= 2&MapCountPass=2&FedCountPass=&MedCountPass=4&NewsCountPass=0&RecPosition=86&Amer icanData=Set&WomenData=&AFHCData=&IndianData=&WorldData=&AncientData=&GovernmentD ata=>. Lincoln, Abraham. "On the Know-Nothing Party." Social Policy: Essential Primary Sources. Ed. K. Lee Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, and Adrienne Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 92-94. U.S. History In Context. Web. 1 Nov. 2013. "The Know-Nothings and the Democrats." Boundless. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2013. realignment-of-the-party-system/the-know-nothings-and-democrats/>.